Publication
Knopf (2008), 352 pages
Description
In an elegant and illuminating narrative, Fortey acquaints the reader with the extraordinary people, meticulous research and driving passions that helped to create the timeless experiences of wonder that fill London's Natural History Museum. And with the museum's hallways and collection rooms providing a dazzling framework, Fortey offers an often eye-opening social history of the scientific accomplishments of the nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first centuries.--From publisher description.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Meredy
Six-word review: Scientist reveals natural history's scholarly side.
Extended review:
Behind the vast galleries of exhibits at London's Natural History Museum, formerly part of the British Museum, is an even vaster labyrinth unseen by the public. Its halls and burrows and storage spaces house the
The author, a retired trilobite man, knows this world intimately. His years of employment in the paleontology section encompass the changeover from a traditional bastion of scholarly disciplines administered and populated by scientists to a grant-funded public attraction backed by crisp labs of white-coated computer operators. The legacy of the older model, whose passing clearly grieves the author, is preserved in the collections even as new information accumulates in other media.
Rich with anecdotes, character sketches, history, and detailed information about various zoological, botanical, and mineral specimens, including the complex and fraught sciences of taxonomy and nomenclature, Fortey's highly readable book claims only to be his own personal collection--his dry storeroom: an idiosyncratic accumulation of knowledge, lore, personalities, and memories garnered over a long career in the practice of science. Entertaining and informative are equally apt terms for this window on a world most of us will never see.
Extended review:
Behind the vast galleries of exhibits at London's Natural History Museum, formerly part of the British Museum, is an even vaster labyrinth unseen by the public. Its halls and burrows and storage spaces house the
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millions of organic and inorganic specimens that make up the ever-growing collections gathered for study and classification by one of the world's major scientific institutions. The author, a retired trilobite man, knows this world intimately. His years of employment in the paleontology section encompass the changeover from a traditional bastion of scholarly disciplines administered and populated by scientists to a grant-funded public attraction backed by crisp labs of white-coated computer operators. The legacy of the older model, whose passing clearly grieves the author, is preserved in the collections even as new information accumulates in other media.
Rich with anecdotes, character sketches, history, and detailed information about various zoological, botanical, and mineral specimens, including the complex and fraught sciences of taxonomy and nomenclature, Fortey's highly readable book claims only to be his own personal collection--his dry storeroom: an idiosyncratic accumulation of knowledge, lore, personalities, and memories garnered over a long career in the practice of science. Entertaining and informative are equally apt terms for this window on a world most of us will never see.
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LibraryThing member Bowerbirds-Library
I have loved the Natural History Museum since the first time I saw it, the grand main hall and numerous galleries have always been a delight to wander through. Now having read Richard Fortey's book, I feel as if I have had a personal tour of the life behind the scenes. The book is a mixture of the
If you are interested in museums, natural history or simply about the lives and loves of dedicated people this book is for you.
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history, science, politics of the museum all mixed up with fascinating anecdotes about a number of the people who have worked (I could almost say lived!) there. Some of the details and even the captions to accompany the images will have you laughing out loud - the curator who tried on a diving suit after hours, couldn't get out of it and had to walk out of the building and down the road to try and get a passer-by to help him or Fortey's own personal belief that the scientists begin to look like the creatures that they study. The key point to this book is that it is Richard Fortey's personal account or as he states in the opening chapter 'This book is my own store room, a personal archive' and so it may not feature enough science for some or too much for others. It does in my opinion leave you wanting to know more, as if the official tour of the building ended and then you could take the author to a nearby pub, buy him a couple of pints and find out a bit more about what did go on in the Dry Store Room No:1...If you are interested in museums, natural history or simply about the lives and loves of dedicated people this book is for you.
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LibraryThing member devenish
A largely entertaining and informative volume about the behind-the scenes life of the natural History Museum in South Kensington,London. Richard Fortey,who worked there as a senior palaentologist until his retirement in 2006 tells us of the various departments and the many nooks and crannies and
For me it is the anecdotes he tells about the odd and eccentric members of staff,that comprise the most memorable parts of this book. One example - '(Leslie Bairstow) filed everything.When he was sent specimens in parcels to identify,which he did with great throughness,he would unpick and save all the bits of string with which they had been trussed,and file them all according to length in special boxes. When he retired there were discovered a number of such boxes,labelled 'string:2-3 feet' and so on. One box was labelled:'pieces of string too small to be of use.' There are many others just as funny spread throughout the book.
His descriptions of some of the departments are most interesting and include Zoology,BotanyGeology and of course the Library itself.
A fascinating read.
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hidden places in this vast building.For me it is the anecdotes he tells about the odd and eccentric members of staff,that comprise the most memorable parts of this book. One example - '(Leslie Bairstow) filed everything.When he was sent specimens in parcels to identify,which he did with great throughness,he would unpick and save all the bits of string with which they had been trussed,and file them all according to length in special boxes. When he retired there were discovered a number of such boxes,labelled 'string:2-3 feet' and so on. One box was labelled:'pieces of string too small to be of use.' There are many others just as funny spread throughout the book.
His descriptions of some of the departments are most interesting and include Zoology,BotanyGeology and of course the Library itself.
A fascinating read.
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LibraryThing member reading_fox
Rambling - just a like a visit to a good museum ought to be.
Richard Fortey the author joined the prestigious British Museum (Natural History) in 1970 as a researcher in the Trilobite department. This is his memoir of his time there, a few people and a few incidents from 40 years of working behind
Downsides: Some of the science is pretty complicated - but then life's like that. A handy reference for the differences between genera, genus, species and family would have been very useful - especially when they occur on their own. The division between curator and scientist is also never explained, although oft alluded to. Many of the anecdotes predate Fortey's own arrival into the Museum, let alone individuals who might still be around. It does lend the book a vaguely ancient air, as if it's still an academic ivory tower. Perhaps the most surprising omission is a lack of any mention of the Science museum. The move into their current premises is covered in detail, and there is now a big public bridge into the adjoining museum, however it appears that no staff ever crossed this gaping divide.
At times really very funny - slightly Bryson-ish in the focus on people rather than science. It does illuminate what went on behind the closed doors the public never saw, but there have been many changes since the majority of the tales. Some previous biological knowledge will be very helpful in reading this.
Little mention is made of the actual dry storeroom No. 1: it was (apparently) a trysting place!
Richard Fortey the author joined the prestigious British Museum (Natural History) in 1970 as a researcher in the Trilobite department. This is his memoir of his time there, a few people and a few incidents from 40 years of working behind
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the scenes at a Museum. Although hardly a comprehensive account it does serve to highlight a lot of work that very few people would otherwise get to know about. I'm not sure if he had any other aims in writing, and if so it's hard to tell if he accomplished them, perhaps a vague plea for continued funding for this, one of the most basic levels of science. Fortey and colleagues work as taxonomists - the giving of official names and hence recognition to species. Only once a species has been described can the basic biology go ahead to find out more about it, for without a species description you could end up following two completely different creatures, thinking they were the same. Richard tries to explain some of these fundamentals of biology (and mineralogy and anthropology) in language which sometimes gets somewhat dense. However the tone is frequently lightened by anecdotes of the members involved which helps quite a bit. It is very much a description of how science used to be done, and fascinating at that, but bears little resemblance to the more modern genetic sequencing work that is so prevalent these days. Fortey does refer to this, but the reader comes away with the impression that Fortey never really understood it while he formally worked there, and now that he's retired and informally working there, he still doesn’t understand it, and what's more doesn't approve of it either.Downsides: Some of the science is pretty complicated - but then life's like that. A handy reference for the differences between genera, genus, species and family would have been very useful - especially when they occur on their own. The division between curator and scientist is also never explained, although oft alluded to. Many of the anecdotes predate Fortey's own arrival into the Museum, let alone individuals who might still be around. It does lend the book a vaguely ancient air, as if it's still an academic ivory tower. Perhaps the most surprising omission is a lack of any mention of the Science museum. The move into their current premises is covered in detail, and there is now a big public bridge into the adjoining museum, however it appears that no staff ever crossed this gaping divide.
At times really very funny - slightly Bryson-ish in the focus on people rather than science. It does illuminate what went on behind the closed doors the public never saw, but there have been many changes since the majority of the tales. Some previous biological knowledge will be very helpful in reading this.
Little mention is made of the actual dry storeroom No. 1: it was (apparently) a trysting place!
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LibraryThing member FioLynn
This wasn't my favourite book by my favourite science author, Richard Fortey, although I enjoyed it very much. It was a fascinating look behind the scenes of the museum and a timely reminder of how important it is to understand even the smallest inhabitants of the natural world. I know there were a
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lot of subjects to cover but I did find the constant switching to a new topic a bit distracting. This is a good entertaining read, but not as good as 'The hidden landscape' or 'Trilobite'. Show Less
LibraryThing member Eat_Read_Knit
This an an absolutely fascinating look behind the scenes of the Natural History Museum. Fortey's erudite and humorous descriptions are wonderfully entertaining - irrespective of whether he is writing about people, expeditions or the strange habits of small and revolting creatures. As we're led
(A word of advice, though - probably best to avoid reading the opening pages of the chapter on insects while eating lunch.)
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through the labyrinthine recesses of the NHM, we're taken on a delightful journey through taxonomy, palaeontology, biology, botany, entomology, mineralogy - and any number of other ologies which were never this interesting at school. The discussion of museum politics is intriguing, and that of the crisis in funding is informative; the scientific content is engrossing, as is the information about the remarkable people who undertook the work.(A word of advice, though - probably best to avoid reading the opening pages of the chapter on insects while eating lunch.)
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LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey
Hmmm. Many interesting bits, unfortunately interspersed with far too many bits of gossip and MESSAGE bits. I think I finally understood what he was driving at on literally the last couple pages - he's trying to explain why museums are still valuable in this day and age. Since I already think they
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are, his cute stories about the characters (in every sense of the word) inhabiting the British Museum mostly bored me (exactly what was the point of the story about Octopus Ross? That sexism was a standard feature of the museum, not all that long ago? How...nice, and how important - not), and his discussions of how their research really does benefit everyone (the discussion of the research was usually interesting, then there would be several pages of him EXPLAINING how this was important...) were very boring. So - I enjoyed many parts of the book, but overall it just didn't work for me. Pity; I think I like Fortey, and I certainly agree with his manifesto. I just wish he hadn't pushed it quite so hard. Show Less
LibraryThing member cat-ballou
The fact that it took me a year to actually finish this book is much more reflective of my short attention span and easy distract-ability than it is of the quality of the book.
LibraryThing member WomblingStar
This book is really interesting and a fascinating read. It shows the behind the scenes work of an amazing place and introduces the reader into the work of a researcher and the people past and present at the museum. It reads very easily and a non-scientist would be able to understand and enjoy the
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book. It really increases my love for museums and I would love to visit the museum after reading this. It also introduces the reader into the important work of identifying all the species in the world and the relevance it has to modern life. Show Less
LibraryThing member nateandjess
his book nicely illustrates the changing role of the natural history museum and the challenges they face throughout the world. Fortey makes the reader feel as if they are strolling through the back rooms of museum as he ponders what he has seen though his years of service. The going is a little
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ponderous at times but overall a very enjoyable read. Show Less
LibraryThing member tahoegirl
Very informative, if a little dry at times. I liked all the characters and events he introduces but often he seemed to get a little side tracked. I liked learning about the history of the museum and how they came to acquire much of the collection, especially about the hoax. Next time I am in London
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I will definitely be going back to the Natural History Museum with new eyes. Show Less
LibraryThing member cmbohn
Themes: natural history, conservation, research, weird science
Setting: The Natural History Museum in London, England
Ever read books where they talk about going up to the British Museum for the day? Well, the British Museum is now the Natural History Museum (and a few other spin-offs) and Fortey
Fortey started his career as a biologist back when the museum was a slightly stuffier and more serious place, and only retired a few years ago, by which time the museum had become more of an attraction and began updating exhibits to attract paying guests. But the focus remains on the science. However, his book isn't really just about the history of the museum, its contributions to English scientific understanding and so on, but rather his own experiences, acquaintances, his explorations of all the hidden little corners of the vast building, and the gossip about the many folks who work there.
And what juicy gossip there is! You wouldn't think that there would be much room for racy anecdotes among the dry and serious types who work at the museum, but wow, you would be so wrong. This and the Shakespeare book both convince me that gossip was much more interesting before it started revolving around which celebrity was sleeping with whom, which had an eating disorder, and who is feuding with whom.
For his format, he starts with the collections of the museum, from mammals and plants and insects (lots of great stories there) to minerals and then the nuts and bolts of how such a place is run and what it takes to keep it going. The book is full of quirky personalities, which makes it so much more fun to read. He does stick his own opinions in there about evolution and religion, about the need to preserve every single species no matter how obscure, about the damage human beings are doing to the planet, about his political views, but he keeps those parts fairly brief and gets on with the more interesting stories of people he has met and colorful characters from the museum's past. I really enjoyed one. Recommended.
Setting: The Natural History Museum in London, England
Ever read books where they talk about going up to the British Museum for the day? Well, the British Museum is now the Natural History Museum (and a few other spin-offs) and Fortey
Show More
takes the reader behind the scenes for an insider's view on what really goes on in such a huge museum.Fortey started his career as a biologist back when the museum was a slightly stuffier and more serious place, and only retired a few years ago, by which time the museum had become more of an attraction and began updating exhibits to attract paying guests. But the focus remains on the science. However, his book isn't really just about the history of the museum, its contributions to English scientific understanding and so on, but rather his own experiences, acquaintances, his explorations of all the hidden little corners of the vast building, and the gossip about the many folks who work there.
And what juicy gossip there is! You wouldn't think that there would be much room for racy anecdotes among the dry and serious types who work at the museum, but wow, you would be so wrong. This and the Shakespeare book both convince me that gossip was much more interesting before it started revolving around which celebrity was sleeping with whom, which had an eating disorder, and who is feuding with whom.
For his format, he starts with the collections of the museum, from mammals and plants and insects (lots of great stories there) to minerals and then the nuts and bolts of how such a place is run and what it takes to keep it going. The book is full of quirky personalities, which makes it so much more fun to read. He does stick his own opinions in there about evolution and religion, about the need to preserve every single species no matter how obscure, about the damage human beings are doing to the planet, about his political views, but he keeps those parts fairly brief and gets on with the more interesting stories of people he has met and colorful characters from the museum's past. I really enjoyed one. Recommended.
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LibraryThing member jontseng
Libraries can be interesting too!
LibraryThing member allthesedarnbooks
This was an interesting book about the Natural History Museum (in Britain). I liked the anecdotal, memoir style Fortey used. By telling the stories of the people who work behind the scenes of the museum and their work, as well as the history of the museum itself, the book is a quick, easy read,
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especially compared to a lot of other science books. My main problem with it is that the scope of the book is so wide--- by trying to cover a broad spectrum of museum scientists' and their specialties, Fortey ends up losing focus. Many times just when I would find myself getting interested in a person or a subject, he would move on to something else. Definitely worth a read, though, especially if, like me, you're trying to learn more about science and are interested in the people who pursue knowledge as much as the knowledge itself. Show Less
LibraryThing member krazykiwi
This is a special kind of book. A marmite book. It's a memoir of a scientist, of a museum, and of a whole era too in a lot of ways.
It manages to cram a history of Taxonomy, the science of classifying things, a personal memoir, a history of the radical changes a century wrought to science in
It's a bit of a dry read, unless you're really fascinated by that kind of thing which I am.
It's chock full of hilarious anecdotes too. You just have to slog through a bit of science to find them.
Like the one about the marine cryptogam expert (that's fungi) who was mistaken for a cryptogram expert (note the extra r in there) and whisked off to Bletchley park during the war - only to accidentally save the day (and possibly the war) when he was the only one who knew how to save and restore German codebooks retrieved from a sunken submarine.
I read a good chunk of this, but then I was busy and set it to text-to-speech - which I really don't like usually, but I have this one posh english voice to use so I tried it out - and it actually worked pretty well. '
I suspect the audiobook version of this would be really great, if it's got a good narrator, and would probably get a whole 'nother star. In fact, I think I will look out for that, because there's SO much in this book, I am pretty sure I could read it another 3 times and still be finding new things.
It manages to cram a history of Taxonomy, the science of classifying things, a personal memoir, a history of the radical changes a century wrought to science in
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general, particularly the effect Darwin had on all fields of biology, a complete history of the incredible British Museum of Natural History, a biography of Linnaeus, discussion on the value of the colonial legacy of botanical gardens, a history of the changes to the British civil service in the past 40 odd years, a grounding in basic latin and greek, and .... well you get the idea. In fact, I think all the things I listed are covered before the half way point. There's a lot of book in this book!It's a bit of a dry read, unless you're really fascinated by that kind of thing which I am.
It's chock full of hilarious anecdotes too. You just have to slog through a bit of science to find them.
Like the one about the marine cryptogam expert (that's fungi) who was mistaken for a cryptogram expert (note the extra r in there) and whisked off to Bletchley park during the war - only to accidentally save the day (and possibly the war) when he was the only one who knew how to save and restore German codebooks retrieved from a sunken submarine.
I read a good chunk of this, but then I was busy and set it to text-to-speech - which I really don't like usually, but I have this one posh english voice to use so I tried it out - and it actually worked pretty well. '
I suspect the audiobook version of this would be really great, if it's got a good narrator, and would probably get a whole 'nother star. In fact, I think I will look out for that, because there's SO much in this book, I am pretty sure I could read it another 3 times and still be finding new things.
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LibraryThing member adzebill
This was my favourite of the Fortey books I've read. Essentially an elegy to the grand natural history museum, whose peculiarities and closeted eccentricities are disappearing in a world of computer-assisted taxonomy and interactive galleries. Fortey began his career in a very different world, and
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conveys through charming anecdotes what made museums special, as well as why they're still important. Show Less
LibraryThing member satyridae
Wildly discursive, endlessly fascinating look behind the scenes of the Natural History museum in London. Fortey is a scientist's scientist, a naturalist's naturalist- he's compelled to explain some mind-numbing minutia along the way to imparting interesting facts. Some of his pedantic asides made
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me laugh out loud because they were such textbook nerd moments. There's a lot of detail here, more even than I wanted, but the narrative is terribly interesting. If you like that sort of thing, and I do. Show Less
LibraryThing member Sullywriter
A wildly discursive but consistently fascinating and entertaining behind-the-scenes look at the Natural History Museum of London.
LibraryThing member glade1
This is a delightful look behind the scenes of the British Museum, and through its history. Lots of fun stories of people and the work they do or did. Often it seems esoteric but Fortey brings it back time and again to how everything is connected. Learning about nematodes can tell us about the
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ocean's health. Minerals give us glimpses into the very ancient history of the earth. Fortey is a talented writer who clearly loves science and museums and gives lots of reasons to support them. Show Less
LibraryThing member murderbydeath
I loved this book, but holy crap I can't believe it's taken me this long to read it. I don't think it's ever taken me this long to finish a book.
If you love museums, if you love natural history, if you've ever thought the idea of getting lost in the back rooms of a museum sounded like something
I'm definitely going to re-read this one at some point in the near future: I feel like I probably didn't do the book full justice by trying to read it while I'm on holiday and helping out my friend while her hand heals. The writing is dense and there's a lot to take in (in a good way) and I'd have gotten even more out of it had I been able to fully focus. But I did enjoy it thoroughly and would gladly recommend it.
If you love museums, if you love natural history, if you've ever thought the idea of getting lost in the back rooms of a museum sounded like something
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you'd put on your bucket list, I think you'll enjoy this book. Mr. Fortey manages with very few words to make the reader feel like they've toured the back rooms of the Natural History Museum (London) and met some of the more colourful characters to have graced it's halls in the last several decades.I'm definitely going to re-read this one at some point in the near future: I feel like I probably didn't do the book full justice by trying to read it while I'm on holiday and helping out my friend while her hand heals. The writing is dense and there's a lot to take in (in a good way) and I'd have gotten even more out of it had I been able to fully focus. But I did enjoy it thoroughly and would gladly recommend it.
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LibraryThing member WellReadSoutherner
I had to read this for a museum class in a college course I'm taking but I'm thrilled with the insider info it gave me into natural history museums. I've always loved museums and knowing a bit about how they got to where they are was informative. There was a few times when he told stories about
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people he had worked with in his career that I didn't enjoy how he described them by the way they looked and it was usually in negative terms. Show Less
LibraryThing member lschiff
Very boring book and not really a coherent, intriguing look at the behind the scenes of the museum. I was really, really disappointed.
LibraryThing member Treebeard_404
Quoting the author about the book: "...to explain what museum science is about, and to try to understand how the taxonomic sciences have evolved since the early days... It does not pretend to be a comprehensive account -- it's not even representative. It is just my own collection..."
And what a
And what a
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collection it is. Fortey makes an impassioned and entertaining defense of systematics and taxonomy in natural history, peppered with stories and remembrances of scientists living and long since passed. Show Less
ISBN
0307263622 / 9780307263629